Hamstring Injuries
Although looking like it, a "hamstring" is not a single muscle. It is a group of 3 muscles that run down the back of the leg.
These muscles are:
1. Semimembranosus
2. Semitendinosus
3. Biceps femoris.
The Hamstring is the most important muscle group for delivering power during sprinting.
What Is A Hamstring Pull/Strain/Sprain/Tear ?
A Hamstring injury usually involves damage to Muscle fibers or occassionally tendons. These muscle fibers are either torn partially or sometimes completely. A very rough three point grading system is used to indicate how bad the injury is. Ranging from microtears and partial tears to a complete tear of the muscle.
The grading can be described as:
Grade 1 Tear: Athlete can walk and possibly slow run with very little or no pain. Fast running may cause pain.
Grade 2 Tear: Athlete feels pain when walking. Any running causes definite pain.
Grade 3 Tear: Athlete can't walk without aid or with definite pain.
What you feel is a sudden pain in the hamstrings, which may be no more than a small twinge, up to a severe pain. You may see immediate bruising or bruising may appear some time after the injury has happened. The bruising, and perhaps swelling, will tend to track downwards towards the knee. If there is a severe tear, you may see a knot of tissue forming a bump on the thigh, especially if you work the hamstrings by trying to bend your knee. After the initial pain, the torn part feels sore to touch and gives pain in the same area whenever you contract or stretch the hamstrings.
A gradual pain in the hamstrings, directly related to a particular movement or activity, is usually termed a hamstring 'pull' or 'strain'. This injury happens for similar reasons to the acute tear. The muscles are tight, fatigued, or weakend, and are then strained by overwork. Overtraining, especially if this involves repetitive movements, is a common cause of hamstring overuse strains.
What Causes a Hamstring Injury ?
Hamstring injuries are very common in sprinting. One of the main reasons for a hamstring injury to occur is due to the relative inflexibility in this area. Another reason for Hamstring injuries can be due muscle strength imbalance. An imbalance between the strength of Quadriceps and Hamstring muscles can result in an injury when sprinting at or near 100%. It is import that Quadricep muscles are developed at the same rate as other legs muscles. Other legs injuries can occur if they are weaker than they should be. Weak Hamstring may also contribute to further injuries and it is possible that weakness may occur following previously undetected minor injuries. If any one of the hamstring muscle group becomes injured, the strength of the whole muscle group will become considerably weaker than.
The hamstring muscles or their tendons may tear as a result of an over-stretch injury, for instance if you sprint fast suddenly when you not warmed up properly or when your muscles are tightened because of a previous strain or fatigued from training hard the previous day. Inefficient muscle function will also contribute to sudden tears in the hamstrings.
The overuse strain starts with a very slight pain, which gradually gets worse, as you continue the activity which caused the problem. Occasionally, the pain is only evident when you work the hamstrings against resistance in their least efficient range, lying on your stomach with your knee held bent to a right angle, and extending your leg backwards at the hip.
A mild Grade 1 hamstring injury may recover within 10 to 12 days, but a more severe injury may last for over three months. If your hamstring injury does not improve, despite careful rehabilitation, it may be that there is an underlying problem. Hamstring pain and spasm can be caused by a stress fracture in the thigh-bone.
Preventing a Hamstring Injury
Most importantly is to follow sound training techniques. These should have a progression to build up distance for a strong aerobic base, with a transition to harder and faster workouts and then finally perform high quality speed workouts before reaching a peak ready for the racing season. This allows for a gradual introduction of speed work after your aerobic base has been built and after you have gradually been building the amount of SHIRV training and lactate threshold training into your program during the transition phase.
By using phased training techniques you will let your muscles gradually adapt to the strain and stresses you are going to placing them under. Your Hamstrings must gradually become accustomed to the longer stride performed in speed work phase. This gradual adaptation will lessen the chances of an injury.
It is import that sprint athletes performing speed work must work hard on their flexibility. It goes without saying that all training requires a pre warm up session before any workout. Sound training techniques must include adequate training cycles and adequate strength conditioning including proper muscle balance.
Apart from helping prevent an injury, stretching and strength training will enhance sprinting performance.
Treatment for a Hamstring Injury
RICE: Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. For a Hamstring injury, immediate application of ice and taking or applying of anti-inflammatory medication is mandatory. Later, rest and gentle compression should be used. In rehabilitation, rest is important followed by very gentle stretching and then gentle strengthening before any more vigorous therapy is undertaken. All hard speed work must be eliminated until the injury has recovered fully. Care must be taken to avoid re-injury. When training after an injury the stride should be shortened to avoid stressing the injury. An injured athlete must ease into any speed work. Forget practicing any quick and explosive starts until the injury in fully healed. A thorough warming up must be undertaken before any training and once a training session is complete a thorough warm down should be undertaken and a gentle stretching.
A severe tear, involving a lot of muscle tissue, may need to be stitched together by a surgeon. However, if the tear is minor, your doctor may decide that you need no more than a conventional rehabilitation programme, which you should follow completely.
Treatment may include injections, and various forms of physiotherapy. But the most important factor in recovery is regaining full flexibility in the muscles, and efficient function. If you try to resume your sport before you have completed the whole recovery process, you are making a recurrence of the problems inevitable.
The problem with overuse injuries to the hamstring is that they tend to recur. Even if they do not develop to the stage of an acute tear, they will limit your ability to run, sprint, hop, and stretch your leg out.
If your injury does not respond to rest within 10 days, you should visit a sports medicine physician. Physical examination will usually reveal the nature and location of the injury
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